Best bird guides by region...Africa (1 Viewer)

[Andy Adcock]

DRC = ?

Democratic Republic of Congo.

 

[Andy Adcock]

Are there any guide books to DRC or Sudan, other than The Birds of Africa and HBW?

This is what springs to mind.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birds-Afri...the+shara&qid=1571582996&s=books&sr=1-1-spell

 

[tjbirder999]

Are there any guide books to DRC or Sudan, other than The Birds of Africa and HBW?

There is no field guide covering all of Sudan (except a very old one by Cave and MacDonald), as it forms a bit of a transition between different African regions. A few years ago, I summarised the best books to use in the country on my blog Link.

Tom

 

[Carol Rushton]

This title is now showing for 10/20 on NHBS.

Thanks Andy

That's disappointing. I had been eagerly awaiting November 2019, for quite some time which was the date I had and was just about to place my order - so it's been moved back yet another year

 

[Andy Adcock]

There is no field guide covering all of Sudan (except a very old one by Cave and MacDonald), as it forms a bit of a transition between different African regions. A few years ago, I summarised the best books to use in the country on my blog Link.

Tom

As most of Sudan is Desert, there aren't going to be many species missing from the book I linked to, they may be covered in a volume on North Africa?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Birds-Midd...of+north+africa&qid=1572945685&s=books&sr=1-4

The above book covers neighbouring Egypt so there must be some of the missing species in this? I think south Sudan will be covered in my first link as it is sub-Saharan and as such, more species rich.

Sudan species 653 with 1 endemic
South Sudan species 889 (Avibase)

 

[Andy Adcock]

The book Birds of Southern Africa is probably the best available field guide to the birds of southern Africa. However, that does not mean it’s without shortcomings. Having more illustrations of each species (as with the Sibley guides) would be valuable. In most cases, there were only two illustrations of each species, only rarely including alternate plumage or juvenile birds. There were several times while birding in South Africa that I had difficulty identifying birds in something other than the adult plumage usually illustrated in this book. I have written lots of about this awesome book. On the other hand, providing more illustrations would significantly increase this book’s size from one that is already too large to be carried comfortably as a field guide. I also found that sometimes the distribution maps were inaccurate (this may be due to their small size).

Most people would not use this book for South Africa, there are too many irrelevant species.

Most books that cover a big area with a lot of species, will have to compromise somewhere if the book is intended to be portable. It would have to be twice the size it is, to include juvenile and alternate plumages and so would become impracticably large for field use.

 

[Jim Martin]

A couple of things to report - just signed up a new edition of Demey & Borrow's FG Birds of Ghana.

And the second edition of FG Birds of East Africa's departure to the printers is imminent. Publishing in November.

Jim

 

[CaliSteve]

Fifth edition of Sasol Birds of Southern Africa is out now.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.za/book/sasol-birds-southern-africa-5th-edition/9781775846680